The state has its agenda against dissent. It epitomises this with its right to use legitimate violence to quash dissent. However, in the small window of administrative requirements and the need for an organic society lies protest. Before we become a pack of similar individuals, we need protest. We need to communicate our displeasure. For a society to grow and flourish, it needs to not agree with the state. And with its right to legitimate violence, the state needs to allow for this disagreement.

With the death of a young SFI member in Kolkata on Tuesday, who died while protesting against the government’s interference in student union elections, we see that window slowly closing down. Sudipto Gupta’s death is not just unfortunate, which Ms Mamata Banerjee should know is the case with every death, but it is symbolic of the how dissent or rather the expression of it is, no longer an option.

The matter of debate is not that he was killed. Yes, as many pointed out rightly, people are killed every day in all of India. The matter of debate is not that he was killed in custody for which news reports are still using the word ‘alleged’. However, what is to be debated is whether his death proves that the idealism of youth needs to make way for the practicality of real life way sooner than it had to before.

If this becomes the norm, how many 21 year olds will seek answers to uncomfortable questions from the government? How many of them will demand better pay or better living conditions or better education or better avenues from the state? Which 21 year old will worry about whether his government is providing what it promised to or not?

You would say, why should a 21 year old bother about how the government functions? He should be more worried about his career and future, shouldn't he?

Yes and No.

A strong society is based on engagement with people. From time immemorial, student and youth engagements have laid the foundations of a robust, organic society. It has happened in universities all across India and the world. It is the youth who are the voice of the society because in their ideal state, they can demand what others cannot.

Stifling Sudipto’s voice is a good way of the West Bengal government to tell the youth what they should better be doing with their time. And which is what every parent will be telling their every dissent-prone child from now on. I use the word ‘prone’ because very soon non-conformance will be a disease and people who will be ‘prone’ to it would need to be checked for infection periodically.